Taxonomy of meanings for 得:　　

Additional information about 得

說文解字:

Criteria
• ABLE
  

  [ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

  [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

  [DIFFICULT/EASY]

  [ENDOGENIC/EXOGENIC]

  [EMOTIONAL/UNEMOTIONAL]

  [INCIDENTAL/INHERENT]

  [INNATE/ACQUIRED]

  [LASTING!/TEMPORARY]

  [PHYSICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL]

  [PRACTICAL/THEORETICAL]

  1. The commonest word is néng 能 "have an inherent capacity for, have the personal ability to".

  [CURRENT], [ENDOGENIC], [GRADED], [LASTING]

  2. Kě yǐ 可以 "be in an objective position to, have the possibility to".

  [ABSOLUTE], [CURRENT], [EXOGENIC], [TEMPORARY!]

  3. Zú yǐ 足以 emphasises sufficiency of conditions necessary to get something done.

  [CURRENT], [GRADED], [INHERENT], [PHYSICAL]

  4. Kè 克 typically comes to emphasise the ability to do something difficult in post-archaic times, but the word was equivalent to néng 能 in early texts.

  [ABSOLUTE], [ARCHAIC], [INCIDENTAL], [TEMPORARY], [PHYSICAL]

  5. Rén 任 emphasises a general qualification to achieve something worth achieving and not obviously easy to achieve.

  [ABSOLUTE], [CURRENT], [DIFFICULT], [ENDOGENIC], [TEMPORARY]

  6. Kān 堪 typically refers to the ability to do something others might not be willing or psychologically able to do.

  [ABSOLUTE], [CURRENT], [DIFFICULT], [EMOTIONAL], [ENDOGENIC], [PSYCHOLOGICAL]

  7. Jì 技 "expertise, know-how" refers to the talents for crafts and the like, and the word is not normally used as a verb. See SKILL.

  [ACQUIRED], [CURRENT], [DIFFICULT], [GRADED], [LASTING], [PRACTICAL]

  8. Lì 力 "strength" is sometimes used to refer to an ability to do something which in some sense requires strength.

  9. Zhī 知 refers to the intellectual ability to do something, especially to do something that is not intellectually trivial.

  10. Jì néng 技能 refers to a lasting acquired skill.

  NB: Dé 得 "cope, show an ability to do something by actually doing it" is an achievement verb and does not belong in this group. See COPE.

• CHINESE LANGUAGE
  

  1. guānhuà 官話 "Mandarin" is obsolete, and its traditional antonym was xiāngyǔ 鄉語 "local speech".

  From Míng Dynasty times, this was a current word for the common vernacular language used by administrative staff of any kind throughout China.

  DC: 明何良俊《四友齋叢說 ‧ 史十一》： " 雅宜不喜作鄉語，每發口必官話。 "

  2. báihuà 白話 "plain speech, vernacular" (as opposed to wényán 文言 )

  This is a modern word referring to an easily accessible written version of the Chinese language. In classical contexts or early vernacular contexts the expression always seems to refer to "empty talk" rather than the vernacular language.

  3. guóyǔ 國語 "national language" (ant. wàiyǔ 外語 ) (pre-1950ies and Taiwan)

  A word that continues to be in increasing common use even in Mainland China today, and which is standard in places like Malaysia or Singapore, as well as in Taiwan.

  4. zhōngguóyǔ 中國語 "language of China" (ant. wàiguóyǔ 外國語 )

  Current Japanese way of writing the Japanese word for the Chinese language, but the expression has a long history in China, the first attested use being in Yáng Xióng's Model Sayings of the first century BC.

  5. pǔtōnghuà 普通話 "common language" (Mainland China) (ant. dìfāngyǔ 地方語, fāngyán 方言 "dialect (not in the ancient meaning)")

  This is a very common modern expression which corresponds to Greek koinē, and the word is always used in counterdistinction to (often mutually incomprehensible) dialects. The word has a rather political flair.

  6. Hànyǔ 漢語 "language of the Hàn people" (should include all dialects, but is often used otherwise)

  This is the most current word for the Chinese language as opposed to other 族語 "national languages". The word is very current in the Buddhist Tripitaka, but it is also attested elsewhere 庾信《奉和法筵應詔》： " 佛影胡人記，經文漢語翻。 ". The term is also attested in 世說新語.

  7. Zhōngguóhuà 中國話 "Chinese speech" (includes all dialects)

  This word is always used in counterdistinction to foreign languages. It has become current in international contexts in nineteenth century novels.

  8. Zhōngwén 中文 "Chinese (typically written) language" (ant. wàiwén 外文, often icludes speech: 會說中文 )

  This word is already attested in the medieval 搜神記, where it refers to the written language. In Modern Standard Chinese this is a very common way of referring to Chinese as opposed to foreign languages, and as a subject in school curricula.

  9. Huáyǔ 華語 "Chinese talk" (used mainly in Singapore, Hong Kong etc.)

  This word has a long history in Buddhist texts, and it is also already attested in 劉知幾《史通 ‧ 言語》： "... 必諱彼夷音，變成華語.

  10. Hànyīn 漢音 "Han-Chinese sounds" refers to the Chinese language in a poetic style. Sanskrit is currently referred to as 梵音.

  HD sub verbo 漢文： 2. 漢語；漢字。南朝梁僧祐《梵漢譯經音義同异記》： " 或善梵義而不了漢音，或明漢文而不曉梵意。 "

  HD: 2. 指漢語。南朝宋朱廣之《咨顧道士＜夷夏論＞》： " 想茲漢音，流入彼國。 "

  老子漢人也。

  新修科分六學僧傳 R133_p0714a04(02)║

  胡蕃國也。土地不同。則言音亦異。當其化胡成佛之際。為作漢音耶。作蕃音耶。苟以漢音。則蕃國有所不解。以蕃音。則此經之至。宜須翻譯。

  11. Hàn yán 漢言 "Hàn language, language of the Hàn Dynasty> Chinese" (ant. 胡言 or 胡語 ) is a historico-ethnographic term.

  This remained a very common way of referring to the Chinese language long after the Hàn Dynasty, as is clear from the Buddhist Tripitaka. (424 occurrences in CBETA.)

  T25n1512_p0835b29(05)║

  胡言般若波羅蜜。

  漢言智慧彼岸也

  T48n2023_p1095c25(00)║

  志曰。

  佛者。 Buddha

  漢言覺也。 is "the enlightened" in Hàn language"

  將以覺悟群生也。 He will bring enlightenment to the sentient beings.

  12. Wényán 文言 "literary Chinese" (ant. báihuà 白話 "plain vernacular") today refers to a modernised version of traditional classical Chinese, as used for example in letters. But in the Buddhist Tripitaka, for example, the phrase regularly refers to ornate Chinese, ornate formulations. Neither traditionally nor in modern times is 文言 used in counterdistinction to foreign languages: the contrast is with other varieties of Chinese.

  DC: 4. 別於白話的古漢語書面語。蔡元培《在國語傳習所的演說》： " 文言上還有例句，如 ' 爾無我詐，我無爾虞 ' 等。 "

  13. wényánwén 文言文 "literary Chinese writing" (ant. báihuàwén 白話文 ) refers to classical Chinese as it continues to be used in the introductions to books and in formal letter-writing.

  This is a twentieth century word, as far as I can see.

  14. báihuà-wén 白話文 "plain talk writing" (ant. wényánwén 文言文 ) is a term with a strong stylistic nuance.

  This is a twentieth century word.

  15. tōngyòngyǔ 通用語 "general use language".

  This is a twentieth century neologism designed to replace 普通話. The term has never achieved broad use.

  16. dàzhòngyǔ 大眾語 "mass language" is obsolete today.

  This is a politicised ideological concept stressing the universal use and popularity of the Chinese language as advocated by language politicians. It is a twentieth century political neologism.

  17. guówén 國文 "state writing" refers in a formal way to written Chinese.

  This is a twentieth century term mainly used in connection with educational politics.

  HD: 許地山《東野先生》： “ 這不是國文教科書底一課麼？ ”

  18. Hàn wén 漢文 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Hàn (typically written) language"

  HD: 2. 漢語；漢字。南朝梁僧祐《梵漢譯經音義同异記》： " 或善梵義而不了漢音，或明漢文而不曉梵意。 "

  19. Zhōngguó wénzì 中國文字 "the Chinese (written) language"

  T49n2036_p0477a06(03)║　

  中國文字未通。蓋不可知也。

  R110_p0542b01(05)║

  偈語原必有韻譯以中國文字。則無可協。

  R110_p0542b09(00)║

  流入東土後。以中國文字經為尊稱。故亦稱經。

  20. Huá yán 華言 is an obsolete traditional term for Chinese that comes over 1200 times in Taisho Tripitaka.

  R150_p0541a 13(00)║

  剌麻者。乃西域之尊稱。

  譯華言為無上二字。

  R149_p0695a 12(00)║

  梵語阿修羅。亦云阿素洛。

  又云阿須倫。

  華言非天。

  R149_p0718b05(03)║

  梵語袈裟華言壞色衣。

  21. dōngtǔ Huáxiàyán 東土華夏言 "Chinese language in the eastern regions" is an ad hoc periphrastic expression which one might insist was never lexicalised, but it is perhaps worth recording just as well, if only in order to

  R059_p0119b04(00)║

  梵語。西天梵國語也。

  華言。東土華夏言也。

  譯者翻也。

  謂翻梵天之語。轉成漢地之言也。

  22. Hàn'ér yányǔ 漢兒言語 "Hàn language" is a term that is current in Korean textbooks of colloquial Chinese, like the famous 老乞大 : “ 你是高麗人，卻怎麼漢兒言語說的好。 ” See also the article in 太田辰夫《漢語史通考 · 關於漢兒言語》

  23. Jìn wén 晉文 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Jìn (typically written) language" is fairly rare, but clear examples are easily found:

  T50n2059_p0326c12(02)║

  還歸中夏。

  自燉煌至長安。

  沿路傳譯寫為晉文。

  24. Jìn yán 晉言 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Language of the Jìn" is common indeed, but many examples can be read technically as "in Jìn this translates as". Not however in this example:

  於龜茲國金華祠。

  T14n0434_p0105ā6(01)║　

  演出此經。譯梵音為晉言。

  T33n1693_p0001ā7(01)║

  斯經似安世高譯。為晉言也。 (punctuation probably wrong!)

  25. Jìn yǔ 晉語 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Speech of the Jìn"

  T50n2059_p0329ā2(00)║

  手執梵文口宣晉語。

  T55n2145_p0072b24(03)║

  先誦本文。

  然後乃譯為晉語。

  26. Jìn yīn 晉音 "Jìn Dynasty speech"

  T14n0434_p0105á1(00)║

  沙門慧海者。通龜茲語。

  善解晉音。

  林復命使譯龜茲語為晉音。

  T50n2060_p0634á6(02)║

  外國語云阿耨菩提。

  晉音翻之無上大道。

  27. Qín yán 秦言 "Qín language> Chinese" is the standard way of providing Chinese translations for Sanskrit words in the Buddhist Tripitaka. (No less than 1132 examples in CBETA, but mostly formulaic, as in the following examples.)

  答曰。摩訶秦言大。 "maha is "big"in Chinese"

  T25n1509_p0383á2(03)║

  今問摩訶薩義。摩訶者秦言大。

  28. Qín yǔ 秦語 "Speech of the Qín > Chinese"

  In the Buddhist Tripitaka, this is a very formal term for Chinese, not very common. (Only 22 occurrences in CBETA)

  T26n1543_p0771b02(08)║

  梵本十五千七十二首盧 ( 四十八萬二千五百四言 ) 。

  秦語十九萬五千二百五十言。

  T51n2068_p0053c09(05)║

  什自手執胡經。

  口譯秦語曲從方言而趣不乖本。

  T51n2068_p0054á9(07)║

  什自執梵本口譯秦語。

  T55n2145_p0072b07(28)║

  胡本十五千七十二首盧 ( 四十八萬二千三百四言 ) 秦語十九萬五千二百五十言

  T55n2145_p0073c09(02)║

  胡本一萬一千七百五十二首盧長五字也。

  凡三十七萬六千六十四言也。

  秦語為十六五千九百七十五字。

  29. Táng wén 唐文 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Táng (typically written) language"

  This is the standard way of referring to the written Chinese language in Buddhist texts of the Táng dynasty.

  R130_p0664b06(02)║

  以華言唐文刻釋氏經典

  T39n1797_p0803b21(10)║

  不得梵文依唐文得意亦同。

  T48n2025_p1160a24(08)║

  唐文多對偶當盡翻譯。

  T50n2060_p0614c17(05)║

  有天竺三藏大齎梵本擬譯唐文。

  R024_p0177a16(02)║　

  語精梵言。

  雖亦兼美唐文。

  乍來恐未盡善。

  30. Táng yán 唐言 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Language of the Táng".

  1523 occurrences in CBETA. Occasionally, one wonders whether this does refer to Táng time Chinese whereas Hànyīn 漢音 does not:

  T20n1177Ap0724c02(01)║

  遂將得舊翻譯唐言漢音經本在寺。

  31. Táng yǔ 唐語 (obsolete, current in Buddhist texts) "Speech of the Táng"

  A fairly rare way of referring to the Chinese language in Táng Buddhist texts. (Only 18 occurrences in CBETA)

  R014_p0563a14(02)║

  印度罽賓皆未詳唐語。

  R036_p0985a16(18)║　　　　

  又多兩重怗文當知初依梵文後釋唐語

  T30n1579_p0283c07(05)║

  三藏法師玄奘。

  敬執梵文譯為唐語。

  32. Táng yīn 唐音 "Táng speech" is a regular expression for Táng Dynasty Chinese in the Buddhist Tripitaka.

  R036_p0584b13600)

  梵語本是兩名唐音無以甄別

  R066_p0717b08(01)║

  此偈乃是梵語訛言。

  傳者將為唐音正字。

  33. Tánghuà 唐話 "Táng talk" is a current Cantonese term for Chinese, and the famous intellectual 許地山 writes: 他說的雖是唐話，但是語格和腔調全是不對的。 But in this phrase, I am instructed by my teacher and friend Jiǎng Shàoyú, Táng refers not to the dynasty but to 唐山.

  34. Dà Táng yǔ 大唐語 "Speech of the Great Táng Dynasty" is rarely attested, but the word does exist:

  R150_p1055b17(00)║

  若僧雖是新羅人。却會大唐語。 Monk Ruò was a person from Xīnluó, but he spoke the language of the Great Táng Dynasty.

  35. Hàn 漢 is an abbreviation for Hànyǔ 漢語 currently used in Buddhist translation theory, but the word is not in itself a term for the Chinese language outside such technical contexts.

  T21n1293_p0378c15(02)║　

  翻梵為漢 Translate the Sanskrit into Chinese.

  R068_p0353b05(05)║

  梵是天竺之言。

  漢是此土之語。

  R133_p0623b09(07)║

  序以條列梵漢旨義。

  R005_p0007b03(02)║

  翻譯之家自有規准。 The specialists in translation have their own standards.

  若名梵漢共有。 If a term exists both in Sanskrit and in Chinese

  則敵對而翻。 than they just match the terms up in translation.

  36. Táng 唐 "language of the Táng Dynsasty.

  梵唐

  T54n2133Ap1196b12(02)║　

  一曰義淨撰梵語千字文。

  或名梵唐千字文。

  T55n2176_p1118a01(00)║　

  梵唐對譯阿彌陀經一卷 ( 仁 )

  This is the same as 梵唐語：

  T55n2176_p1118b20(00)║　

  梵唐語對註譯大佛頂真言一卷

  T55n2176_p1119c19(18)║

  梵唐對譯法花二十八品

  T55n2176_p1120a05(00)║　

  梵唐對譯金剛般若經二卷

  T55n2176_p1131a06(00)║　

  梵唐文字一卷

  37. Jìn 晉 "the language of the Jìn Dynasty.

  The term is rarely used to refer directly to the language, unlike the common Táng 唐. But examples do exist:

  T55n2157_p0795c08(08)║

  既學兼梵晉故譯義精允。

  38. nèidìhuà 內地話 refers to the language spoken on the Mainland, and the word is mostly used on Taiwan. This term represents an outsider's view on the Chinese language. (2.9 million hits in Google! This important word was brought to my attention by Jens Østergaard Petersen.)

  39. shénzhōu yǔ 神州語 "the language of our divine land" is quaint, nationalistically sentimental, and a rare way of referring to the Chinese language.

  beijing.kijiji.cn/á1221463.html:

  心中一暖，想到他居然會說神州語，正要說些甚麼，但一開口，嘴部動作牽動喉嚨，...

  40. zúyǔ 族語 "the national language (of the Chinese) is a borderline case because the term refers to national languages in general, and only by extension to Chinese in particular.

  42. Hàn dì zhī yán 漢地之言 "language of the Ha4n territory" is a marginal periphrastic expression which one should probably not regard as a lexicalised item. One could study such periphrastic expressions separately from the lexicalised vocabulary.

  R059_p0119b06(06)║

  謂翻梵天之語。轉成漢地之言也。

  [43. jīngpiànzi 京片子 "Chinese as spoken in Peking" is a borderline case because it does refer to Peking speech, but not insofar as it is the standard for the whole of China. Colloquial examples of this sort could be multiplied...]

• MISTAKE
  

  1. The most current general word for a mistake is probably shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get things right") refers generally to an inadvertent mistake in action, and normally of minor kind.

  2. Wù 誤 (ant. zhèng 正 "correct") typically refers quite generally to intellectual misapprehension.

  3. Miù 謬 (ant. zhèng 正 "correct") typically refers to an intellectual misapprehension because of complete baselessness of what is being said.

  4. Quē 闕 (ant. wán 完 "completely right") is a polite circumlocution for a superior's inadvertencies or mistakes in action..

  5. Tè 忒 and chà 差 is an archaic word for unreglemented personal or political conduct.

  NB: Cuò 錯 as a standard word for "mistake" is post-Han.

• COST
  

  1. The general word for something having a certain monetary worth or exchange value is dāng 當.

  2. Dé 得 is occasionally used to refer to the exhange value of something.

  NB: Dǐ 抵 and zhí 值 "be worth"is post-Buddhist (QING).

• FAIL
  

  1. The current general word for failure is shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get somewhere").

  2. Qióng 窮 (ant. dá 達 "successful") refers to getting into an impasse, a situation from which there is no way out, or being hopelessly unsuccessful with what one is trying to do.

  3. Bài 敗 (ant. chéng 成 "achieve one's purpose") construes failure as a defeat in some personal or social undertaking or campaign.

  4. Bēng 崩 construes a failure as a momentous disaster.

  5. Fù 負 refers specifically to a defeat versus a victory.

• REQUEST
  

  1. The current general word for a request is qiú 求 (ant. dé 得 "obtain"), which however can also come to mean demand and is therefore not a particularly polite term to use.

  2. Qǐng 請 is the polite term for a request addressed to a superior or an equal; and this term is currently used in early texts to refer to a suggestion made in the superficial rhetorical form of a request.

  3. Suǒ 索 is a strong request for someting one takes to be due to one.

  4. Yè 謁 refers to (inappropriate) special requests made to acquaintances in high office, and the term can come to have negative overtones when used as a noun.

• PROFIT
  

  1. The current general word for any kind of material or other profit or advantage is yì 益 (ant. sǔn 損 "loss").

  2. Lì 利 (1. ant. yì 義 "considerations of rectitude"(!!); 2. ant. hài 害 "damage and loss suffered") refers to material profit.

  3. Dé 得 (ant. shī 失 "lose") refers abstractly to what is achieved as a desired advantage.

  5. Rù 入 (ant. chū 出 "expense") is manifest material gain.

  6. Biàn 便 (ant. zǔ 阻 "hindrance and disadvantage") refers to a convenient adantage.

• LOSE
  

  1. The dominant general word for to lose is shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get") which refers to any disappearance of something which belonged to one in any sense, but the emphasis tends to be on the loss being the result of a mistake rather than mere insouciance.

  2. Yí 遺 (ant. cún 存 "keep in one's possession) is to lose through inadvertency an object that one would like to have or to keep.

  3. Wà2ng 亡 (ant. yǒu 有 "have") refers to the the disappearance or loss of property, what one has control of or owns, not to the loss of e.g. parts of the body.

  4. Sàng 喪 (ant. dé 得 "get") is to lose something or someone dear to one or close to one, including objects of "inalienable possession", either momentarily for a time, or permanently.

  5. Juān 捐 is sometimes used to refer to seeing one's supply of something diminished or to have such a supply disappear.

• CATCH
  

  1. The common general word is 獲 (ant. shì 釋 "set free") which can refer to the capturing or obtaining of anything that might conceivably try to escape (for dé 得 "obtain what generally does not try to escape capture" see OBTAIN).

  2. Qǔ 取 (ant. shě 捨 "relinguish, reject") is to take control of by force and applies typically to enemy territories or enemy cities in a conflict. See WIN

  3. Chí 持 (ant. shī 失 "lose hold of") refers to the capturing of non-human prey.

  4. Zhi 執 (refers to the capturing of any human and non-human prey. See also ARREST.

  5. Náng 囊 is specifically to capture by the use of a sack or bag.

  6. Guà 絓 refers to catching something on a hook, typically a hook attached to a string.

  7. Wò 握 is specifically to catch and get hold of something with one's bare hands.

  8. Yú 漁 refers very specifically to the catching and killing of fish. [See ANGLE]

  9. Dé 得 "obtain" can sometimes come to refer to catching what is trying to escape capture.

  10. Bǔ 捕 refers to catching animals typically in a habitual or professional way.

  NB: Zhuō 捉 came to mean "catch" in post-Han times.

• BEAUTIFUL
  

  [ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

  [ACOUSTIC/VISUAL]

  [ARTIFICIAL/NATURAL]

  [[COMMON/RARE]]

  [ELEVATED/VULGAR]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  [HUMAN/NON-HUMAN]

  [POETIC/PROSAIC]

  1. The general word is měi 美 "handsome and admirable" (ant. è 惡 "ugly") which refers to anything concrete or abstract which is attractive or handsome in a dignified way, and the word often retains its primary culinary sense of "tasty".

  [GENERAL], [GRADED]; [[COMMON]]

  2. Lì 麗 (ant. sù 素 "unaodorned") is often restricted to physical objects, prototypically to clothes, and emphasises their balanced symmetric beauty, occasionally also - by analogy - the well-aligned symmetric beauty of mountains.

  [ELEVATED], [NON-HUMAN], [VISUAL!]

  3. Wén 文 (ant. zhì 質 "merely material") emphasises cultivated external as well as internal elegance as well as traditionalism.

  [ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], [NON-HUMAN], [VISUAL!]

  4. Yǎ 雅 (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") emphasises primarily external elevated elegance.

  [ACOUSTIC!], [ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED+], [NON-HUMAN]

  5. Hǎo 好 "comely, handsome" (ant. chǒu 醜 "ugly") refers indiscriminately to men and women, but the word is sometimes more general and even abstract in application and refers to attractive words or attractive moral qualities.

  [HUMAN!], [NATURAL], [VISUAL]

  6. Xiù 秀 "of vigorous and imposing beauty" focusses on flourishing and flamboyant beauty in analogy with that of flowers.

  [ELEVATED], [NATURAL], [NON-HUMAN], [POETIC], [VISUAL]; [[RARE]]

  7. Huá 華 "of striking and colourful beauty" (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") focusses on flourishing and flamboyant superficial or only apparent beauty, on the analogy analogy with that of flowers.

  [ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], NON-HUMAN], [SUPERFICIAL], [VISUAL]

  8. Zhuàng 壯 "stately" (ant. ruò 弱 "weak and unsightly") is virile beauty associated with strength and vigour. See STRONG

  [NATURAL], [MARGINAL], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

  9. Jiā 佳 "of outstanding beauty" (NB: liè 劣 "unremarkable" is the ant. of jiā 佳 "outstanding", and not in the meaning of "outstandingly beautiful") emphasises comparative beauty compared to others in the same group.

  [GRADED], [ELEVATED], [NATURAL], [POETIC]

  10. Dū 都 "urbane and exquisitely beautiful" (ant. bì 鄙 "rustic and inelegant") is a highly poetic word that can only be used in elevated prose.

  [ARCHAIC], [ELEVATED], [POETIC], [VISUAL]; [[RARE]]

  11. Yán 妍 "attractive and exquisite (of humans as well as human products)" (ant. chì 蚩 "unattractive") refers to elaborate beauty. See SEXY.

  [ARCHAIC], [ELEVATED], [HUMAN], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

  12. Xiū 脩 / 修 "refined moral beauty" refers to moral as well as physical beauty, thus coming close the Greek kalokagathia, but never approaching the latter in importance as a cultural keyword.

  <div>[ELEVATED], [ARTIFICIAL]; [[RARE]]</div><div><br></div><div>吳蓬，東方審美詞彙集萃，上海文藝出版社，2002 lists the following rough definitions of a variety of terms of aesthetic appreciation by the artist and scholar Wu Peng. Many of these terms express conventional appreciative flattery only. This list does provide one not particularly well-known artist's subjective readings of some basic terms of traditional Chinese aesthetic approbation.</div><div>勃：富有生机之突起。<br>苍：浓的，毛的，老练的。<br>沉：沉着不浮，有重量感。<br>冲：调成和淡之意向。<br>饬：整顿。<br>粗：大而不笨者。<br>淳：清，往往易薄，然而淳是清中滋润之厚。<br>醇：与淳略同，这醇是提炼后的滋润之厚。<br>绰：与"约"字合用，即舒而不纵之意。<br>澹：平静而有幽淡之趣。<br>淡：与浓艳相对。<br>宕：放荡不拘。<br>跌：往往与"宕"字合用，即是起伏明显之状。<br>端：方正而不出偏，有稳实感。<br>敦：很实在的，结实的厚。<br>繁：众而密，有生气。<br>方：与平正同义。<br>丰：饱满而充足。<br>风：审美中之"风"指的是一种气韵格调。<br>飞：大幅度的流动。<br>刚：属于阳性的，有正力的，与柔软相对。</div><div>高：俯视一切的、超然得不一般。<br>工：规矩，不潦草。<br>孤：自我独立。<br>古：旧气，更有历史的抗怀千载之迹象。<br>骨：内在的架子。<br>犷：是跟"雄悍"接近，在粗中发展开来。<br>瑰：不单调的美。<br>乖：不和顺。<br>憨：近于拙朴而敦实。<br>酣：厚润四溢。<br>豪：激动向上之貌，有气魄。<br>宏：大而有气度。<br>厚：有沉积的饱和。<br>华：明亮而艳丽。<br>环：长久圆融之境。<br>荒：与"枯简"接近，不修饰。<br>豁：与开朗接近，然比开朗明显。<br>恢：宽广有余。<br>浑：团然一气之象，有朦胧感。<br>简：经过一番整修的减少。<br>娇：美得可爱。<br>警：审美中用此警字，往往指敏锐、颖达。<br></div><div>劲：能察觉的力。<br>精：很到位。<br>隽：精致而具内涵之美。<br>娟：秀而婉丽。<br>崛：高起而突出。<br>俊：人材杰曲之美。<br>峻：山高而陡。在书画中是浓而锋利之用笔。<br>空：有灵气之空白。<br>枯：干而毛，生的萎缩，然亦是力的显露。<br>宽：大度而畅朗。<br>旷：广阔而空灵。<br>辣：是枯毛爽直的老笔触。<br>朗：明亮而豁然。<br>琅：圆而光润。<br>伦：是同类之意，带有文明意念。<br>冷：跟"淡"与"静”接近，与浓烈相对。<br>炼：精到而有功力。<br>淋：与"漓”往往合用，是无拘束的洒落。<br>流：明显的动感。<br>迈：阔而放的超势。<br>莽：宽广而繁密的，朴直奔放的。<br>袤：与"古"字合用，即悠长久远之趣。<br>茂：有生气的繁密。<br>媚：柔美之趣。<br>宓：安而静。<br>明：清晰有亮度。<br>凝：浓重而不流动。<br>懦：毫无火气之柔软。<br>平：一般的，接近于稳。<br>朴：原始状态，形象较准。<br>嫖：与"姚"字合用，即动疾之状，而有气势。<br>奇：不一般。<br>气：生发的，迎面直扑而来的感觉。<br>清：是混的相对。其间透出一股朗气。<br>峭：山之直而险，在书画中是露锋的侧锋用笔，有明显露<br>尖状态。文章中之峭，是意气直逼。<br>遒：婉转有致，内力强劲。<br>虬：与遒类似，但动感较强，弯曲而有力度。<br>意：诚实谨慎。<br>儒：代表文人之书卷气。<br>洒：散落无拘束。<br>赡：富有与丰实。若与"疏”、"逸”组合即成"澹”或"安"之义。</div><div>骚：审美中之骚字，可引伸为风骚至风流感。<br>韶：美丽有光泽。<br>涩：在不爽快的进程中，流露出内力之美。<br>深：不是浮面的。<br>神：精与气合。高端的。<br>生：不成熟，但比成熟有味。<br>肆：任意放纵。<br>松：松是灵活自然，是一切技巧之本要。<br>瘦：与粗笨相对，在审美中的"瘦"，是指细长而精练。<br>疏：一种稀少秀朗之美。<br>肃：有立即静穆下来之势。<br>率：与潦草随便有别，爽快而直接。<br>邃：深远而悠久。<br>阅：通达之意。<br>给：与"宕"合用，是安详舒放之趣。<br>天:很自然，一片天箱之"天"。<br>恬：安静而坦然。<br>挺：直而有生气。<br>婉：柔和而曲折。<br>温：是一种暖调与缓和的综合。</div><div>巍：往往与"峨"合用，是高大厚实之趣。<br>洗：与"炼”合用，即是"精炼"之意，凡物之洁出于洗。<br>犀：与"利"字合用，即坚利。<br>熙：光明，和乐。<br>细：指细而不纤。<br>娴：文静而雅致。<br>闲：一种高雅的自由。<br>萧：疏少有致。<br>潇：散朗而润泽。<br>馨：很醇厚的香气。<br>篁："篁古”是悠远辽阔之意。<br>雄：强大，有力度，有霸气。<br>秀：灵巧的，有生气的，美好的显露。<br>虚：表象空，但并非真空。<br>雅：文气而不俗。<br>妍：鲜美而柔性。<br>严：认真，不马虎。<br>淹：一种浸沉与精深明达之境。<br>野：超脱、不规范。<br>冶：经过一番精致修饰。<br>逸：悠闲的起伏。</div><div>意：精神倾向。<br>莹：透明而幽亮。<br>雍：往往与“容"字合用，有和顺之貌。<br>幽：静而深。<br>腴：肥润而饱和。<br>郁：厚积而有生气。<br>纤：与"迥"字合用，即弯环回绕之趣。<br>遹：与"瑰"字合用，即纤迥美丽之趣。<br>渊：往往与"懿"合用，是深润而悠美之趣。<br>圆：接近于饱满润滑。<br>蕴：与"藉"合用，即内涵丰富。<br>韵：一种余味不尽之趣。<br>恣：放纵的，无拘束的。<br>滋：湿润感。<br>自：出于本性的流露。<br>质：本体的，实在的。<br>纵：放逸无拘之状。<br>拙：接近朴，形不准。<br>庄：端正之貌。<br>卓：与“荤"合用，是突出明显之状。<br></div><div><br></div><br>

• SUCCEED
  

  1. The general word for succeeding is 達 (ant. qiǒ2ng 窮 "get nowhere, have no way out") refers quite simply to "making it".

  2. Tōng 通 (ant. kùn 困 "run into trouble, get into trouble") refers to the achievement of unimpeded progress in what one is trying to do.

  3. Jī 幾 (ant. jiǒng 窘 "get into a hopeless position") refers to an almost complete success.

  4. Jí 及 refers to the successful reaching of a high level.

  5. Dé yì 得意 (liǎo dǎo 潦倒 "end up in a hopeless position") refers to the full achievement of one's highest ambitions or hopes.

  6. Yù 遇 (ant. bù yù 不遇 "fail to succeed") refers to success under certain specific circumstances or by chance.

• OBTAIN
  

  1. The current general and highly abstract verb for obtaining any form of possession of anything abstract or concrete is dé 得 (ant. shī 失 "lose inadvertently").

  2. Obtaining something through effort and often with an element of choice involved is qǔ 取 (ant. qì 棄 "choose to reject").

  3. Obtaining something that tries to escape or is otherwise hard to get is huò 獲 (ant. wáng 亡 "miss out on, fail to get").

  4. Getting something which one has had before is fǎn 反.

• WIN TRUST
  

  1. The current general word for winning the trust and the confidence of a superior is dé 得 / 德.

  2. Qǔ 取 refers to gaining the allegiance of or gaining the trust of someone.

  3. Gān 干 and the rarer yāo 要 refers to seeking the allegiance of or advantages from, or good relations with superiors.

  4. Huái 懷 refers to seeking the allegiance of and cultivating good relations with inferiors or subjects.

• ACHIEVE
  

  [EASY/DIFFICULT]

  [EXPECTED/UNEXPECTED]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  [IMPORTANT/UNIMPORTANT]

  [LARGE-SCALE/SMALL-SCALE]

  [MEDIOCRE/ STANDARD/PERFECT]

  [NOUN/VERB]

  [TRANSIENT/LASTING]

  1. The current general word for successful action on one's own behalf or on someone else's behalf is chéng 成 (ant. bài 敗 "fail to achieve; botch up").

  [GENERAL], [LARGE-SCALE]; [VERB]

  2 The current general word for successfully completed action on one's own behalf or in one's own interest is dé 得 "manage to" (ant. shī 失 "fail in, get wrong" and ant.* bù néng 不能 "not manage to").

  [DIFFICULT], [SELFISH], [STANDARD]; [VERB]

  3. Zhì 至 refers to successful action on one's own behalf on a very high level.

  [DIFFICULT], [PERFECT], [SELFISH]; [VERB]

  4. Zhì 致 refers specifically to remarkable successful action, typically on others' behalf.

  [ALTRUISTIC], [DIFFICULT]; [VERB]

  5. Lì 立 refers to successful action resulting in a lasting objective result of one's efforts.

  [ALTRUISTIC], [LARGE-SCALE]; [VERB]

  6. Suì 遂 refers to eventual successful completion of something one has planned.

  [EXPECTED]; [VERB]

  7. Gōng 功 refers to the achievement of something regarded as important to others. See MERIT.

  [ALTRUISTIC], [IMPORTANT]; [NOUN]

  8. Gōng jì 功跡 refers to achievements as leaving a lasting trace on the future.

• PERMIT
  

  1. The current general word for formal permission for someone to do something which he asks to do is xǔ 許 (ant. jìn 禁 "forbid").

  2. Tīng 聽 (ant. fú tīng 弗聽 "refuse to listen" and the rarer bì 愎 "be stubborn (and refuse)") refers to the superior giving permission for a suggestion from his inferiors to be carried out, typically by himself or his agents.

  3. Dé 得 refers to the obtaining explicit or implicit permission to go ahead with something one would like to do.

  4. Shǐ 使 (ant. jìn 禁 "prohibit, forbid") is sometimes used to refer to a failure to prevent someone from doing something which amounts to an implicit form of permission.

Word relations
• Result: (OBTAIN)欲 / 慾/DESIRE The dominant standard word is yù 欲 (ant. fú 弗 "refused to, would not") which refers to any concrete - and typically temporary - intention or desire of any kind, irrespective how strongly motivated it is. 欲戰 "wants to fight". 1 Attribution
• Result: (OBTAIN)搜/SEEK Sōu 搜 refers to the conduct of a searching campaign of some size, typically for a person.
• Result: (OBTAIN)求/SEEK The current general word for trying to find or get something is qiú 求. 13 Attributions
• Result: (CATCH)追/PURSUE Zhuī 追 refers to the attempt of catching up with anything, characteristically a kòu 寇 "enemy" or thief (who may not know he is being pursued) but without any attending notion that what is being caught up with is NECESSARILY trying to escape or to make great speed, and the word is regularly used in figurative derived meanings "to seek", as in zhuī lì 追利 "chasing after profit". 1 Attribution
• Result: (FIND)求/SEEK The current general word for trying to find or get something is qiú 求. 2 Attributions
• Ant: (OBTAIN)亡/LOSE Wà2ng 亡 (ant. yǒu 有 "have") refers to the the disappearance or loss of property, what one has control of or owns, not to the loss of e.g. parts of the body. 2 Attributions
• Ant: (ACHIEVE)失/LOSE The dominant general word for to lose is shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get") which refers to any disappearance of something which belonged to one in any sense, but the emphasis tends to be on the loss being the result of a mistake rather than mere insouciance. 4 Attributions
• Ant: (OBTAIN)除/AVOID Chú 除 refers to the avoidance or removal of something that is perceived as posing a powerful threat. See REMOVE [CAUSATIVE], [DELIBERATE]; [[DERIVED]]
• Ant: (OBTAIN)喪/LOSE Sàng 喪 (ant. dé 得 "get") is to lose something or someone dear to one or close to one, including objects of "inalienable possession", either momentarily for a time, or permanently.
• Ant: (SUCCEED)失/FAIL The current general word for failure is shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get somewhere"). 1 Attribution
• Ant: (OBTAIN)失/LOSE The dominant general word for to lose is shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get") which refers to any disappearance of something which belonged to one in any sense, but the emphasis tends to be on the loss being the result of a mistake rather than mere insouciance. 1 Attribution
• Object: (ACHIEVE)道/WAY Dào 道, when used in its concrete meaning referring to a means of communication tends to refer to a larger line of communication, and the traditional claim is that the term refers to a road where two vehicles can pass each other. Thus the First Emperor called his Autobahns chí dào 馳道 and not chí lù 馳路. 3 Attributions
• Object: (OBTAIN)天意/PLAN1 Attribution
• Object: (OBTAIN)道/METHOD Dào 道 is a way of being, of functioning, as well as a way of doing things, and this Way may be either exoteric or esoteric. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (OBTAIN)取/OBTAIN Obtaining something through effort and often with an element of choice involved is qǔ 取 (ant. qì 棄 "choose to reject").
• Contrast: (ENCOUNTER)受/SUFFER The most general word referring to a person's being exposed to something is probably shòu 受 (ant. shī 施 "have an effect on, act upon"), which can take both desirable and non-desirable objects.
• Contrast: (CATCH)獲/OBTAIN Obtaining something that tries to escape or is otherwise hard to get is huò 獲 (ant. wáng 亡 "miss out on, fail to get").
• Contrast: (ABLE)能/ABLE The commonest word is néng 能 "have an inherent capacity for, have the personal ability to". CURRENT, ENDOGENIC, GRADED, INHERENT, LASTING
• Contrast: (OBTAIN)致/ACHIEVE Zhì 致 refers specifically to remarkable successful action, typically on others' behalf. [ALTRUISTIC], [DIFFICULT]; [VERB]
• Contrast: (ENCOUNTER)見/ENCOUNTER The most current general marker of the passive is jiàn 見 which means literally "be exposed to, face".
• Contrast: (LEARN)覺/AWARE Jué 覺 is inchoative and refers to coming to the awareness of something or becoming aware of something. [INCHOATIVE]
• Contrast: (ENCOUNTER)逢/ENCOUNTER Féng 逢 seems to be a dialect word synonymous with yù 遇, a word which it came to replace at later stages of the language as the standard word.
• Contrast: (OBTAIN)被/RECEIVE Bèi 被 refers to being the recipient of benefits or enjoying things passively as benefits. 1 Attribution
• Synon: (ABLE)能/ABLE The commonest word is néng 能 "have an inherent capacity for, have the personal ability to". CURRENT, ENDOGENIC, GRADED, INHERENT, LASTING 1 Attribution
• Oppos: (ACHIEVE)逢/SUFFER1 Attribution
• Oppos: (PROFIT)德/VIRTUE The current general term for salient features and principles of charismatic moral integrity and generosity is dé 德, when used as a term of ethical evalutation; but this word has many other philosophically important meanings. 1 Attribution
• Oppos: (OBTAIN)貪/GREEDY The current abstract term for an exaggerated desire for the possession of things of all kinds is tān 貪 (ant. lián 廉 "morally pure and ungreedy"). 1 Attribution